Centro Multidisciplinario de Ciencias, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC),
Mérida
Venezuela
Short Communication
The Myrmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Macanao Semi-arid Peninsula in Venezuela: An Altitudinal Variation Glance
Author(s): Antonio J Pérez-Sánchez, John E Lattke and Miguel A Riera-ValeraAntonio J Pérez-Sánchez, John E Lattke and Miguel A Riera-Valera
There are incomplete data about ant taxonomy and diversity in the Caribbean islands of Venezuela. In order to broaden myrmecological information in the Peri-Caribbean arid belt, ground-dwelling ant assemblage of the Macanao semi-arid peninsula (Margarita Island) was sampled with a Rapid Assessment Program (RAP). Two study sites on the northern slope of the peninsula were chosen, La Chica (LC) at 70 m of altitude and Cerro Macanao (CM) at 598 m of altitude. Sixty pitfall traps (30 per site) and 96 man-hours of manual collecting (48 man-hours per site) were employed. Overall, 40 species and 32 genera from eight subfamilies were recorded, twice the number of species previously reported for Margarita Island. Differences in ant species richness and structure were detected between both sites, with 31 species in CM and 25 species in LC. Such variations indicate that microclimatic conditions .. Read More»
DOI:
10.4172/2376-0214.1000116